Snubber



Jan. 27. 1925. 1,524,380

C. EQBOONE SNUBBER Original Filed Jan. 4, 1923 5 sheetsisheet 2 ayxameffiome J W I A82}? c. E. BOONE SNUBBER Original Filed Jan. 4, 1923 Sheets-$heet 3 Patented Jan. 27, 1925..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLAEENCE 3E. BUilNE, i313 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF T0 ALBERT '1. MQOBE, O IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA.

SNUBBER.

Application filed January 4, 1923, Serial No. 610,622. Renewed December 8, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. BooNn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles I and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snubbers, oi.

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shock absorbers for road vehicles, and has for an object to 10 provide a hydro-pneumatic snubber.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shock absorber of simple and substantial construction and of but few mov- V able elements and provide a shock absorber =16 consisting of a compression chamber with a slow bleed port and a quick acting relief valve so that in downward action as of the chassis frame of an automobile on its main springs, this may occur with natural and desired yielding movement of the springs, While the sharp recoil of the frame and springs will be smoothed out to prevent recoil shocks. 4 1

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest on the following specification of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-*- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the chassis of a vehicleand one of the main springs with which is combined the snubber.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation and sectional view of the device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and sectional view of the snubber with the outer shell removed.

Fig. d is a,transverse section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 55 of Fig. 3. 1

,h e present invention, in its illustrated ;"eii1bodies a base plateQ substantially of disc form which m'ay be provided with a plurality of laterally extending lugs 3 tenablingthe substantial attachment of the ass to the desired portion of the frame F of vehicle. The base 2 is provided with a segmental wall lconcentric to a central trunnion 5. A wall 6 joins one end oi the segmental wall 4 and also connects \vith an inner concentric wall 7 fromwhich extends a substantially radial wall 8 joining, at its outer end, with the segment l. Therefore,

it will be seen the walls 4:, 6, 7 and 8 form a chamber 9 on one side of the base i and this chamber is adapted to be hermetically closed by a simple cover plate 10, Fig. 2, zfiid may be secured thereon as by screws The radial wall 8 is adapted to be an ranged in a substantially horizontal position with the chamber 9 uppermost, and is provided with a check valve whose stem 13 extends through a port 12, and whose head 14 is adapted to be pulled upwardly to seat against the'lo'wer end of the walls of the port 12 as by a spring 15. The iunction of this valve is to permit comparatively ready downward flow of a liquid of suitable character which is indicated at L, a

uantity of which is normally contained in t 0 upper chamber 9.

There is provided below the wall 8 an arcuate piston chamber 17 which has a bore of circular cross section to receive a circular piston head 18; the piston cylinder 17 be ing concentric to the axis of the trunnion 5. Rotativcly mounted. on the trunnion is a hub 20 having a radially projecting arm 21 which is provided with a curved piston rod 22, the curvature of which is concentric to the axis of the trunnion, and which rod is adapted to oscillate within the piston chamber 17 the piston head 18 being secured at the inner end of the arcuate piston rod 22, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. On a movement of the piston 18 away from the valve wall 8 of the chamber 9 the tendency of creation of a vacuum between the piston head and the valve wall 8 results in a dowu- Ward flow of liquid L from the upper cham-- her 9 through the valve. port 12 thus enabling the comparatively easy outward move-. mcnt-ofthe piston from its chamber. Upon a reverse or inward movement of the piston the check valve 14 being closed instantly by its spring 15 when suction is interrupted. the inward movement is materially rctarded or checked because of the presence of the compressed-liquid; the rateof in- Ward movement of the piston being controlled by the restricted bleed port 8 provided in the valve wall 8.

In the adaptation of the snubber or shock 10 absorber to a vehicle, the hub 20 is provided with a substantial lever arm 23, and this is in turn connected as by slink 24 and a 1 suitable clamp to'the contwuous main spring S under that portion oi the frame F to which a snubber is attached.

To provide an ampl supply of the recoil controlling liquid, Lp ibvide an outer shell or cover 26 of agenerally cylindrical form having its cylindrical Wall provided with suitable fastening lugs 27 through which may be run screws 28 for securing the shell 26 to the base 2. An hermetic seal is provided as by a g'asket'28 between the con-- tiguous edge of the shell 26 and face of the base. The trunnion 20 has a slightly reduced portion 20% passing through a central aperture 26 of the shell, and a liquid tight oint is formed between the shell and shoulder 20 of the hub 20 by the provision of a buckskin gasket 29 which snugly fits the shank 20 of the trunnion and to which shank the lever arm 23 is securely keyed.

. The applied shell 26, therefore, forms a spacious chamber between its own disc wall and the base 2, and a suitable amount of the liquid L is adapted to be introduced into this chamber through a filling hole 30 which may be closed by a plug 31, Fig. 2. When the snubber' is applied, the liquid chamber 9 will be in upper position as to the radial valve wall Swhich will be disposed in a substantially horizontal position thus present ing the piston chamber 17 below the chamber 9. The liquid L contained in the reservoir within the .shell 26 is adapted to be transferred from the reservoir chamber 32 to the supply chamber 9 by automatic action of the device, and this is accomplished by providing communication between the reservoir chamber 32 and the upper supply chamber 9. A simple form providing such communication for transfer consists of a tube 33 having a suction end in the reservoir 82 and a discharge end 23 in the'upper portion of the supply chamber 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that in operation of the device, when tl frame F has a relative descending movement as to the spring S, the lever arm 23 will he held substantially against such downward movement by the link 24 which is attached to the spring and, therefore, there will be an outward movement of the piston 18 in its chamber 17, which will result in a suction past the valve 14 and through the port 12 of liquid from the supply chamber 9. This results in attenuating air pressure in the chamber 9 above the liquid L, and when a sufficient degree of attenuation has been produced, liquid from the reservoir 32 will flow through the transfer passage shown as the tube 33-33 and the transferred liquid will, therefore, accumulate in the supply chamber 9 by automatic action.

When downward movement of the frame ceases and there is a recoil tendency' given to it by the spring S, then the lever arm 23 becomes effective to relatively thrust the piston 18 inwardly in its chamber 17 with the result that there is a relative compres- ((1 sionyot' the liquid in the piston chamber lunflder the valve 14, this being closed. The inward movement of the piston and consequently the rate of recoil movement of the frame is checked and controlled by the slow 7 flow of the liquid through the bleed port 8. For the purposeof controlling the rate of discharge of oil through the bleed port 8, a regulating screw or other device 8 is adjustable in the wall 8. Access to the screw 9 8 may be had by removing a plug 8 in the shell 26. Further embodiments, modifications and changes may be resorted to within the spirit of the. invention as here claimedQ What is claimed is: 1. A shock absorber comprising, in combination, a reservoir chamber, a piston chamber, a piston movable in said chamber,

an inlet check valve having spring closure for the piston chamber and a restricted bleed port leading from the piston chamber,

a supply chamber flow from which is controlled by the inlet check valve and to which said bleed port returns liquid under pressure of the piston in said chamber, and means for connecting the device to a vehicle frame and to a contiguous spring.

2. A shock absorber comprising, in combination, a reservoir chamber, a piston chamber, a piston movable in said piston chamber, an inlet valve for the piston chamber and a restrictedlbleed port leading from th. piston chamber,a supply chamber flow from which is controlled by the check valve and to which said bleed port returns liquid under pressure of the piston in said chamber, means for connecting the device to a vehicle frame and to a contiguous sprin and an open tubular connection for provi 1 ing for transfer of liquid from the reservoir to the said supply'chambei'. r

3. A shock absorber comprising, in com bin-ation, a reservoir chamber, a. piston chamher, a piston movable -in "said piston chain ber, an inlet check'valve for the piston chamber and a restricted bleed port leading from the piston chamber, a supply chamber 3 flow from which is controlled by the check valve and to which said bleed port returns liquid under pressure of the piston'in said chamber, means for connecting the device to a vehicle frame and to a contiguous spring, and means for providing forti'ansfer of liquid from the reservoir to the said supply chamber when there is a partial vacuum created in the said supply chamber 4:. A shockabsorber for vehicles comprising a base and shell forming a chamber, a

supply reservoir having communications with the chamber so that the liquid will be transferred from the reservoir to the said chamber when a partial vacuum is created in the latter, a piston cylinder havin apiston which is opcratively connected, to a spring of the vehicle to which the device is applied whereby in one movement of the frame the said piston moves outwardly in said piston cylinder and liquid is drawn freely from the supply chamber to the piston cylinder, and means for retarding discharge of the liquid by the piston from the piston chamber on the recoil of said spring. A shock absorber for ,vehicls compr1smg a base-and shell forming a chamber, a-

.supply reservoir having communication with the liquid reservoir so that liquid will be transferred from the reservoir to the said chamber when a partial vacuum is created in the latter, a piston cylinder having a piston which is operatively connected to a spring of the vehicle to which the device is applied whereby in one movement of the frame the said piston moves outwardly in said piston cylinder and liquid is drawn freely from the supply chamber to the piston cylinder, means, for retarding discharge of the liquid by the piston from the piston cylinder on the recoil of said spring, and a relief valve for instantly opening to permit ready flow of liquid from the supply chamher to the piston chamber.

6. A shock absorber comprising, in combination, a base and a shell attachable to the frame of a road vehicle, said base and shell forming a reservoir chamber, a supply chamber communicating therewith and ,a ,piston chamber communicatin with the supply chamber, a check valve or controlling flow from the supply chamber to the piston chamber. said piston having an arcuate lohgitudiual form, an arcuate piston movable in said chamber and being connected to the vehicle spring. and means for retarding displacement of liquid from the piston chamber on the recoil stroke of the spring when driving the piston inwardly. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

* C. E. BOONE. 

